Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Image quality

Cons:

Auto focus speed, Auto focus noise

The image quality of this lens is absurd. It's very good. It's very clean; it's very sharp; it's very contrasty.

It's a macro lens. By itself it can zoom in pretty close. I don't have any of the teleconverters or extension tubes, but from what I've read it seems that they really expand the utility of this lens's macro function.

I usually use this for product photography. It's focal length is good for this. It's also a good focal length for adult portraiture. Children are fidgety, and one of the definite weaknesses of this lens is its auto focus speed. It's just not that fast. So unless your child has been tranquilized, it might be tough to get a shot of them.

It's also very noisy, so forget about candid shots of cats. They become very suspicious.

Wide open shots display very nice bokeh.

lalitjee

Registered: January 2010Posts: 13

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by lalitjee

Review Date: 1/10/2010

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8

Pros:

Very good image quality

Cons:

A/F is bit slow some time

Image quality is excellent ,i use this lens with e3

Joer

Registered: October 2009Posts: 1

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by Joer

Review Date: 10/6/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10

Pros:

As above review by SLR Gear.

Cons:

It is slow to autofocus, but one has to understand it was designed for macro, where manual focus is the way to go. However, I would have preferred a focus ring like the old film lenses, or even like the digital Olympus 12-60mm lens.

Superlative lens, I agree that it is a must have.

Lightweight too, and on the Olympus E-P1 is a fabulous treat. Can't wait now for the E-P2.

Karellen

Registered: February 2009Posts: 3

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by Karellen

Review Date: 5/8/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $365.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Best lens tested by Slrgear, crystalline sharpness at every aperture, weather resistance

Cons:

Non-SWD focusing motor

Analyzing various camera makers lens lines (before choosing Olympus) I found the ZD 50mm f/2 possessed the highest IQ of any lens tested by Slrgear, Dpreview, and Popphoto.

MartinM

Registered: November 2008Posts: 31

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by MartinM

Review Date: 3/2/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $325.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Small, lightweight, extremly sharp

Cons:

none

I have the lens now for 5 days. In terms of sharpness, this is the best lens I've ever seen so far. Or at least as good as my Minolta 35/2.0

Well built, light, small. You can carry it with you in the pouch of your jacket.

Well worth the money.

In comparison to the Minolta 35/2 were the prices are around 800 USD, this one here is a bargain

If you find it at a reasonable price, get it!

xeroxparc79

Registered: February 2009Posts: 5

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by xeroxparc79

Review Date: 2/23/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Very sharp even at f/2, great macro performance, weatherproof

Cons:

Slow, noisy, imprecise, unrefined AF

With SWD AF would be the best lens in the world.

slambert

Registered: December 2008Posts: 1

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by slambert

Review Date: 12/22/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Super sharp, Versatile and weather proof.

Cons:

Slow sometimes difficult to focus.

I really like this lens. It is crispy sharp even with the macro tube, and at all apertures. The color cast is neutral and it can be used for almost anything where a 100mm EFL slow focus prime lens is an appropriate choice.

However the focus is slow and sometimes imprecise. Often you have to "feather" the shutter to get a clean focus and sometimes it misses the focus point completely.

However, if you invest enough time to get to know this lens, it will produce the best pictures that a given 4/3 camera can produce.

lextalionis

Registered: October 2007Posts: 82

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by lextalionis

Review Date: 11/26/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $400.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

One for the bag!

Cons:

None!

This is a must-have lens for the bag. Very sharp wide-open at f/2, but just one stop-down, and beyond it’s crazy sharp. If you love shallow DOF and smooth creamy bokeh and sharp as a tack in-focus subjects, then this lens is for you!

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $401.92| Rating: 10

Pros:

Lightweight, extremely sharp, optically fast

Cons:

Macro lenses tend to focus a little slower

An excellent replacement for my old Zuiko 90mm f/2 Macro. Not quite as sharp or contrasty, IMO, but still a very good optic at an exceptionally fair price.

OldMacJoe

Registered: April 2008Posts: 2

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by OldMacJoe

Review Date: 4/3/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $930.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Incredibly sharp, good bokeh, quite fast

Cons:

slightly expensive

How about to shoot some portraits in available light? Well, here's the right tool to do the job! Great sharpness, impeccable color rendition, good bokeh - what else could you expect?

OhWeh

Registered: January 2008Posts: 5

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by OhWeh

Review Date: 1/23/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

fast lense, very sharp, very good contrast

Cons:

slow AF, no focus range limiter

An excellent lens, not only as Macro, but also very good as moderate tele and as portrait lens.

Combination with EC-20 works as an excellent 4/100 Telemakro up to 1:1.

Highly recommended!

ailame

Registered: December 2007Posts: 4

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by ailame

Review Date: 12/22/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $900.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

sharpnes, size

Cons:

I have been owning this lens for 2 years now. But honestly, I have rarely taken it out of drawer. Reason? Major focus issues I have had...It was so impractical to use with my E-1... It was slow and hunting there and back and again...maybe you know it. Great for macros, great for portraits but only if there was enough of light for AF to capture itself somewhere. Otherwise it was more pain than gain.

What a change with E-3! I have already mentioned this in 14-54mm f2.8-35 review. The AF speed maybe tripled and it focuses correctly in 99% cases even in very hard light conditions. And this completely changes the whole story and my impression about this lens. If I have found it a bit freaky to have it with E-1, now, I say it is 'must have' with E-3. The performance is just amazing in all aspects and I can finally enjoy its unique quality.

I am not making any special comments on IQ. The charts, ratings and reviews of other are clear and speaking for itself.

Hawaii-Geek

Registered: December 2007Posts: 4

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by Hawaii-Geek

Review Date: 12/5/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharpness, f2 performance

Cons:

none, but might hunt for some, but not me :)

Use as a Portrait lens (not macro) but have shot Landscape with it, and because of it's small size, use it as an everyday lens too. Nothing beats having f2 with you always. You can keep the e510 and 50m in a small LowePro Mini bag with you always.
Only bad thing about that is no zoom and no wide so you need a little space and some shutter speed at efl 100mm ... or a e510/E3 with IS.
Shot thousands of shots with both the e500 and e510 with it ... and imho the e510 IS with the 50mm f2 combo is noticably "Better"! and with the e510 I have NOT hunted "at all" period.
p.s. when it starts to hunt ... get off the shutter release button, fast! and then shoot for high contrast using "only" the center Cross focus point.

* Oh, I forgot the most important thing ... the IQ .. WOW the sharpness is the first thing you will notice ... but there is something more there, you will see it , you will notice it , and you will shoot f2 , f2.8 often lol. And you will Love it!

KenH

Registered: January 2007Posts: 4

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by KenH

Review Date: 1/2/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $419.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

This lens is small and lightweight. Great Bokeh!!!

Cons:

Hunts for focus in close.

This is a great lens to add to your Zuiko collection.
This lens has very good defocussing (Bokeh) qualities.

llbeanie1

Registered: November 2006Posts: 17

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by llbeanie1

Review Date: 1/1/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8

Pros:

Cons:

good lens but a little noisy

Bytesmiths

Registered: October 2005Posts: 2

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by Bytesmiths

Review Date: 10/25/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $639.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

image quality, light weight

Cons:

slow macro focus, bayonet attachment

A wonderful portrait/macro combo! This fills the role of my OM Zuiko 90/2, my favorite film lens, but at a third of the weight and size.

The bayonet hood/filter attachment is non-standard, and using the E twinlight or ringlight requires an expensive attachment.

Jay

Registered: October 2005Posts: 4

Olympus 50mm f/2 Zuiko Digital Macro review by Jay

Review Date: 10/23/2005

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10

Pros:

fast prime (F2), very sharp, and good contrast

Cons:

none

This macro lens is also a great portrait lens. In fact is a great lens for any kind of shoot. I use this lens in doors in poor light conditions with wonderful results. Coupled with the E-1's great auto white balance this lens is great in low, indoor light situations.